Newbie from NZ

Hi all! I found the Facebook group first and have come along here to explore further!

Jasmine is my Burmese kitty who was diagnosed as diabetic four days ago and now I am on the roller coaster of information and conflicting opinions with my vet... sigh! But we will get there, it is early days yet.

Currently Jazz is on a caninsulin pen, the vets wanted her on the hills MD diet and didn’t think that regular BG monitoring was needed at home. So I am in the process of getting that sorted with them now. I want to change her insulin and to be able to monitor her BGL at home rather than having to go in to the clinic all the time for her curves to be done there as we stabilise her!!

She has been on dry food her whole life but today I have gotten her some canned pate food, I doubt it’s a great brand but for now it is better than dry food so I grabbed it and will figure out more specifics later... she ate it happily anyway so that is half the battle for a cat used to dry food! Haha!

I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the info still but I am confident about getting my head around it all over the coming days and weeks.

I am in New Zealand, so some of the info I have to filter through to the differences between countries, but I am sure there is heaps of valuable info in here. I look forward to taking control of this disease more and giving my kitty many years yet.

 

Welcome to you and Jasmine! We all remember being where you are now.....overwhelmed, conflicted, and confused. The good news.... this will pass and you will wonder why you ever felt that way.

Your vet is like many we hear about.....wanting kitty on a prescription diet that is neither carb appropriate nor ideal ingredients and not promoting home testing. My cure for that is simply to ask your vet if they would give insulin to a baby without first testing to see if it was safe to do so. I'm betting the answer would be NO!

As for diet, a cat is an obligate carnivore and most prescription diets contain corn and other unsavory and inappropriate ingredients. Just point that out and many will reconsider their advice. This doesn't make your vet a bad vet. It's just that vets get very little training on feline diabetes or even diabetes in general and most of their nutritional education is done by the big Rx diet companies. Much of what vets recommend can be attributed to their experience with other clients. What you do at home is your business and when the vet sees that your choices are working, they will come around to your ways.

Please come join us on the Health forum with any and all questions and we'll help you navigate the learning curve and get both Jasmine and you feeling better in no time.

 

Welcome!

 

Hi and welcome to you and Jasmine.
I live in Sydney Australia so not too far away.
You will find most of the information on the forum is quite relevant to you in NZ. Just a few brands of the cat food are different and maybe some of the glucose meters.
Can you get the fancy feast classics over there and the FF Pates?. They should all be low carb. Can you get Weruva brand in NZ.? There is a member in NZ. I will look for her and tag her for you. @PussCatPrince - GA

I see in your info that Jasmine had DKA. That alone is a very good reason why you should home test. It is really important that she gets plenty of food and fluids, enough insulin and does not have an infection. Was she treated for an infection in hospital?
You don’t need your vets permission to home test the blood sugars at all. Jasmine is your cat. Don't let him talk you out of testing. It is one of the most important things you can do for Jasmine to keep her safe and onto a good dose of insulin.
Here is a link how to home test..if you go to a chemist and ask for a human glucose meter such as Abbott Optium Neo that is what you need, along with the test strips and some lancets.......Which should all be in the started kit..also get some cotton balls to put behind the ear to support it when you prick the ear.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Here is a link to some of the foods available here on Oz...they may be ok for you..I am glad you have switched over to canned..well done!!!
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...anned-food-suitable-for-diabetic-cats.134090/

This is a link to foods in the US....we have some of them here too
https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

I would ask your vet if you could change the insulin to glargine (Lantus). It is a longer lasting and gentler insulin than caninsulin.....
And very suitable for cats..
I am going to tag @Kris & Teasel as she can help you with caninsulin and with recovering from DKA.
Post over on the main forum where there are many more eyes..we are very happy to help and support you
Here is the link to the main forum
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/feline-health-the-main-forum.28/
Bron

 

Welcome! Yes, do post over on the main health forum and we'll get started helping you. I'd also suggest that you add that info about DKA into your signature text. It's a key bit of info advisors need to see because it'll affect what we recommend.

 

Hi @flyingduster I'm originally from the UK but now in New Zealand.
My Ty was diabetic.

Hold fire on some stuff. You have time.

I can help with a meter etc. Don't go out and buy one.
Many of the foods available elsewhere are not available here in NZ.

 

As requested, here is another photo of Jazz from yesterday.

And yes, Oamaru is such a cool wee town! My mother grew up here, so I have ties here. My mother, sister, and in-laws all live only a few minutes away, and with three young kids their support has been invaluable!!

 

What a pretty girl! Love the expression on her face!

 

Jazz is beautiful!!!

 

Inscrutably enigmatic in that pic.